Bluefields Cariay | |
|---|---|
City andmunicipality | |
 View of the Carl Rigby Museum  Coastal Glories Stadium  View from Bluefields Bay | |
  Bluefields Location in Nicaragua | |
| Coordinates:12°00′40″N83°46′13″W / 12.01111°N 83.77028°W /12.01111; -83.77028 | |
| Country |  Nicaragua |
| Autonomous Region | South Caribbean Autonomous Region |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Dinah Melinda Downs Lewin |
| Area | |
• City andmunicipality | 4,774.75 km2 (1,843.54 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 25 m (82 ft) |
| Population (2023 estimate)[1] | |
• City andmunicipality | 58,633 |
| • Density | 12.280/km2 (31.805/sq mi) |
| • Urban | 56,421 |
| Time zone | UTC-06:00 (CST) |
| Climate | Af |
Bluefields (Spanish pronunciation:[bluˈfjels]) is acity andmunicipality on the centralMosquito Coast, and capital of theSouth Caribbean Coast Autonomous Region,Nicaragua. Historically, it held far greater significance as the political andadministrative capital of the Kingdom of Mosquitia, which maintained independence and later protectorate status under Great Britain during the 17th to 19th centuries.[2] Following the kingdom'sannexation in 1894, the city became the capital of theZelaya Department.[3]
From the early seventeenth century, European privateers and pirates—particularly those associated with Dutch and English interests—frequented the Mosquitian Shore, using theBluefields River and adjacent bays as natural harbours and rendezvous points. At the time, the area was already inhabited by several Indigenous nations, including the Kukra, Ulwa,Rama, andMiskito. An early description of the area appears in the Minutes of a Committee for Providence Island of 14 June 1637, in whichAlbertus Blauvelt, mate of the Expectation, reported a “good harbour” at the river’s mouth and noted its navigability and surrounding vegetation.[4]
Bluefields rose to regional prominence in 1844 when it was designated the administrative centre of the Kingdom of Mosquitia. The establishment of the Moravian Church in 1848 further contributed to the development of the town’s religious and educational institutions. Between the 1860s and 1880s, increasing British and American investment transformed Bluefields into a commercial hub focused on banana cultivation, timber production, and maritime trade. During this period, the city acquired a distinctly cosmopolitan character, with a population comprising Creoles, Miskito, European settlers, and other Indigenous communities. Growth slowed after theNicaraguan occupation of Mosquitia in 1894.
In the modern era, Bluefields has faced persistent economic and social challenges. The port was mined by the United States in 1984 during theContra War, and the city suffered extensive damage fromHurricane Joan in 1988 before undergoing reconstruction. In recent decades, Bluefields became associated with the illicit retrieval of narcotics—locally termed “white lobster”—that washed ashore from maritime smuggling routes between Colombia and North America, though increased enforcement has reduced this activity.
Despite ongoing underdevelopment and social inequality, Bluefields remains a culturally significant city, serving as a major centre ofAfro-Caribbean and Indigenous identity and reflecting the longstanding historical traditions of Mosquitia.
According toKöppen climate classification, Bluefields features a trade-windtropical rainforest climate (KöppenAf). There is a drier period from February to April, but thetrade winds ensure that unlike the Pacific coast of Nicaragua, rain still falls frequently during this period. For the rest of the year when tropical low pressure dominates rainfall is extremely heavy, helped by the coast being shaped in such a manner as to intercept winds from the south as prevail during the northern summer.
| Climate data for Bluefields | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 27.8 (82.0) | 28.4 (83.1) | 29.0 (84.2) | 29.8 (85.6) | 29.9 (85.8) | 28.9 (84.0) | 28.1 (82.6) | 28.5 (83.3) | 29.1 (84.4) | 28.8 (83.8) | 28.4 (83.1) | 28.0 (82.4) | 28.7 (83.7) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 24.9 (76.8) | 25.2 (77.4) | 26.2 (79.2) | 27.0 (80.6) | 27.0 (80.6) | 26.0 (78.8) | 25.6 (78.1) | 25.6 (78.1) | 25.8 (78.4) | 25.6 (78.1) | 25.3 (77.5) | 25.2 (77.4) | 25.8 (78.4) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 22.2 (72.0) | 22.3 (72.1) | 23.3 (73.9) | 23.7 (74.7) | 24.2 (75.6) | 23.9 (75.0) | 23.7 (74.7) | 23.6 (74.5) | 23.5 (74.3) | 23.1 (73.6) | 22.8 (73.0) | 22.6 (72.7) | 23.2 (73.8) |
| Average rainfall mm (inches) | 218 (8.6) | 114 (4.5) | 71 (2.8) | 101 (4.0) | 264 (10.4) | 581 (22.9) | 828 (32.6) | 638 (25.1) | 383 (15.1) | 418 (16.5) | 376 (14.8) | 328 (12.9) | 4,320 (170.2) |
| Average rainy days(≥ 1.0 mm) | 19 | 13 | 10 | 10 | 15 | 23 | 26 | 25 | 21 | 21 | 20 | 22 | 225 |
| Source: HKO[5] | |||||||||||||
The city is located beside the eponymous bay; consisting of 17 neighborhoods including the port ofBluefields Bluff, located on a peninsula of the same name. Due to gradual erosion, the peninsula is becoming a true island that closes the Bay of Bluefields on the east side. Bluefields Bluff has an extension of 1.29 km2 and it is about 8 km from Bluefields.
Bluefields has several municipal headquarters and rural communities including:
Urban Level: Santa Rosa, Central, San Mateo, Pointeen, Fátima, Three Cross, Ricardo Morales, Old Bank, San Pedro, Teodoro Martínez, 19 de Julio, Pancasán, Punta Fría, New York, Beholden, Canal, Loma Fresca.
Rural Level: Cuenca Río Escondido, Cuenca Río Maíz, San Nicolás, La Fonseca,Rama Cay, San Luís, Caño Frijol, Torsuani, Long Beach, Dalzuno, Cuenca Río Indio, Río Maíz, Guana Creek, Nueva Chontales, Neysi Ríos, La Palma, Sub-Cuenca Mahagony, Krisinbila, Sub-Cuenca Caño Negro, Río Kama,Bluefields Bluff, Las Mercedes, Monkey Point, El Corozo, Cuenca Punta Gorda, Caño Dalzuno, Haulover, Villa Hermosa, San Ramón, Río Cama (El Cilicio), San Brown, La Virgen, San Mariano, La Pichinga, Musulaine, Caño Blanco, Aurora (San Francisco), Kukra River (Delirio), Barra Punta Gorda, Kukra River.
Formal education in Bluefields began with the arrival of the Moravian Church in 1848, when missionaries established the first organised school centres in the region. These early institutions introduced structured instruction in literacy, religion, and practical skills, and among their first pupils wasGeorge Augustus Frederic, the future Miskito king.[6]
There are currently two universities in Bluefields. One is the Bluefields campus of theURACCAN, and the other is theBluefields Indian and Caribbean University (BICU).[7]
Until recently, there was no road access to Bluefields from the pacific. There is now a highway fromNueva Guinea with regular bus service. The road was completed in May 2019, and was financed with loans from theInter-American Development Bank and theWorld Bank. The road was formally declared open by PresidentDaniel Ortega.[8]
Visitors usually either fly in toBluefields Airport or take a bus fromManagua and other cities or take aPanga down theBluefields River fromRama City, which itself is accessible from Managua by bus.[citation needed] In the town, taxis are readily available at a fixed price of 14 cordobas per person (2020) and work on a shared basis. The municipal wharf is the home of commercial boat traffic to Corn Island, LaBarra and many other locations which are only accessible by boat. Car ownership is very limited in Bluefields.
The municipal government does not provide all necessary services, so additional services related to water, energy, and sanitation are provided by non-governmental organizationBlueEnergy.
Bluefields was also known as home of theBritish Armed Forces strategic operations zone (SOZ), which was built in 1936 with the initial goal of countering the furtherNazi Germany Atlantic invasion of Nicaragua during World War II—recently it has been used to block drug trafficking fromMexico to outside Nicaragua via Bluefields, and provide temporary humanitarian aid storage for natural disasters.
Media related toBluefields at Wikimedia Commons
Bluefields travel guide from Wikivoyage12°00′N83°45′W / 12.000°N 83.750°W /12.000; -83.750
Capital:Bluefields | ||
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